Press Release Article

ARTWORK BY CHILDREN WHO LOST LOVED ONES ON 9/11
TO BE DISPLAYED IN WORLD TRADE CENTER PATH STATION

Date: Sep 07, 2005Press Release Number: 100-2005

Display Also Pays Tribute to Victims of the February 26, 1993, WTC Bombing

A collection of paintings by nearly 200 children who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001, and on February 26, 1993, has been put on display on the concourse level at the temporary World Trade Center PATH Station in memory of those who died in those terrorist attacks.

The idea for the collection, known as Art for Heart, was conceived as an art therapy project by 19-year-old Ali Millard, the stepdaughter of former Port Authority Executive Director Neil D. Levin who died in the 9/11 attacks.

Ms. Millard, the daughter of Port Authority Commissioner Christy Ferer, said, “These wonderful canvas tributes to those we lost represent positive memories and will stand the test of time.”

Port Authority Executive Director Kenneth J. Ringler Jr. said the bistate agency strongly supports this initiative, and volunteered the World Trade Center PATH Station as a high-trafficked location where the artwork can be displayed.

“As an agency that lost 84 of our colleagues on September 11 and four others on February 26, 1993, we understand the overwhelming grief and sense of loss experienced by all of the families,” Mr. Ringler said. “We believe that this display will be therapeutic to the children who contributed to it, and will serve as a reminder of the horrible tragedies that occurred and their impact on so many people.”

The Art for Heart artwork depicts themes of family, joy, hope and remembrance, creating a lasting memorial for those lost in the attacks. It previously has been on display at the American Museum of Natural History.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey operates many of the busiest and most important transportation links in the region. They include John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International, LaGuardia and Teterboro airports; AirTrain JFK and AirTrain Newark; the George Washington Bridge and Bus Station; the Lincoln and Holland tunnels; the three bridges between Staten Island and New Jersey; the PATH (Port Authority Trans-Hudson) rapid-transit system; the Port Authority-Downtown Manhattan Heliport; Port Newark; the Elizabeth-Port Authority Marine Terminal; the Howland Hook Container Terminal on Staten Island; the Brooklyn Piers/Red Hook Container Terminal; and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in midtown Manhattan. The agency also owns the 16-acre World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan.

The Port Authority is financially self-supporting and receives no tax revenue from either state.